We Can't Be Friends

For the song by Ariana Grande, see We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).

"We Can't Be Friends" is a song by Canadian singer Deborah Cox, featuring American singer RL of R&B group Next. It was written by Shep Crawford and Jimmy Russell for her second studio album One Wish (1998), while production was overseen by Crawford. Selected as the album's third single, the duet was airplayed on December 21, 1998 but released on September 14, 1999, and became her second single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.

"We Can't Be Friends"
Single by Deborah Cox and RL
from the album One Wish
Released	September 14, 1999
Length	4:41
Label	Arista
Songwriter(s)	Shep Crawford Jimmy Russell
Producer(s)	Shep Crawford
Deborah Cox singles chronology
"It's Over Now" (1999) "We Can't Be Friends" (1999) "I Never Knew" (2000)
R.L. singles chronology
"We Can't Be Friends" (1999) "The Best Man I Can Be" (1999)

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor from Billboard wrote that "Cox shows off the full maturity of her magnificent voice in this shimmering R&B ballad, which she shares with the equally compelling R.L. from Next. From the start, this beautifully crafted song of regret and abiding love glides along with the gentle touch of silk, raising the emotional threshold at the mid-section, where the pair’s voices rally together as if made for each other." He found that "while Cox has certainly delivered the goods on the classic "Things Just Ain't the Same" and "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here," this casts her in a completely new light, which R&B and R&B adult stations will eagerly savor with all the intensity of the emotion shared here. This is indeed the goods."^[1]

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "We Can't Be Friends"

Chart (1999)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[2]	8
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[3]	1

Certifications

Certifications for "We Can't Be Friends"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[4]	Gold	500,000*
* Sales figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of Hot R&B Singles & Tracks number ones of 1999